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Wild chimpanzees modify modality of gestures according to the strength of social bonds and personal network size

Roberts, AI and Roberts, SGB (2016) Wild chimpanzees modify modality of gestures according to the strength of social bonds and personal network size. Scientific Reports, 6. ISSN 2045-2322

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Abstract

Primates form strong and enduring social bonds with others and these bonds have important fitness consequences. However, how different types of communication are associated with different types of social bonds is poorly understood. Wild chimpanzees have a large repertoire of gestures, from visual gestures to tactile and auditory gestures. We used social network analysis to examine the association between proximity bonds (time spent in close proximity) and rates of gestural communication in pairs of chimpanzees when the intended recipient was within 10 m of the signaller. Pairs of chimpanzees with strong proximity bonds had higher rates of visual gestures, but lower rates of auditory long-range and tactile gestures. However, individual chimpanzees that had a larger number of proximity bonds had higher rates of auditory and tactile gestures and lower rates of visual gestures. These results suggest that visual gestures may be an efficient way to communicate with a small number of regular interaction partners, but that tactile and auditory gestures may be more effective at communicating with larger numbers of weaker bonds. Increasing flexibility of communication may have played an important role in managing differentiated social relationships in groups of increasing size and complexity in both primate and human evolution.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Science & Technology; Multidisciplinary Sciences; Science & Technology - Other Topics; PAN-TROGLODYTES-SCHWEINFURTHII; FEMALE MOUNTAIN GORILLAS; MACAQUES MACACA-MULATTA; HEART-RATE RESPONSES; INDIVIDUAL DISTINCTIVENESS; INTENTIONAL COMMUNICATION; PRIMATE COMMUNICATION; NASAL TEMPERATURE; YOUNG CHIMPANZEES; TEMPORAL CORTEX
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Q Science > QH Natural history
Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301 Biology
Q Science > QL Zoology
Divisions: Natural Sciences & Psychology (closed 31 Aug 19)
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
Related URLs:
Date Deposited: 10 Nov 2017 11:54
Last Modified: 04 Sep 2021 11:01
DOI or ID number: 10.1038/srep33864
URI: https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/7519
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